


Resolutions

by The_Plaid_Slytherin



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: F/M, Fix-It, M/M, Multi, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-31
Updated: 2012-12-31
Packaged: 2017-11-26 03:41:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/646158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Plaid_Slytherin/pseuds/The_Plaid_Slytherin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Saul and Laura convince Bill to relax post Earth-settlement.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Resolutions

Saul wasn't sure what the story was, now that they had settled. Well, they hadn't _settled_ exactly. They were still living in the temporary shelters and doing a lot of runs back up to the ships, but all that was winding down because Bill had put fuel rationing into place.

That probably meant he'd found out about Saul's taking a Raptor up to _Galactica_ to shower in Bill's quarters instead of bathing in the river.

"Bill," Saul said patiently, "when are we going to stop hiding it?"

Bill bit his lip. It looked like he was trying to decide what to say. Which meant he was trying to choose the answer that would make Saul the least angry.

"When she's feeling better," he finally said.

Saul sighed. Laura _had_ been feeling better, though Bill seemed hesitant to believe it. Cottle still insisted on keeping her for observation, and Saul didn't blame him—especially without a lot of medical equipment, it had to be hard to know whether she really _was_ better or if this was only a brief reprieve.

"What about regs?" he tried. "Are we still working or are we retired?"

"We're still working." Bill glanced over his shoulder, but the people passing them as they walked through the settlement didn't seem to be paying a bit of attention. "We still need a military to organize things, build shelter…" He shook his head. "I don't know what we'll do about security or a police force."

Bill's hands were swinging tantalizingly at his sides and it was all Saul could do not to grab one of them. He knew Bill would be beyond furious, though. Saul stuck his hands in his trouser pockets to keep them occupied. There was a hole and he worked his finger through it. Damn cheap uniforms. He wondered if Bill would be upset if he started wearing his fatigues. Bill had gone back to blues after the survey missions were complete and Saul had put on what Bill was wearing every morning.

He sighed. Why the hell was he so worried about protocol? Didn't he realize what Saul wanted was to hold his hand as they walked through the rows of tents and temporary structures?

"I'll have to meet with Romo Lampkin again," Bill was saying. "You wouldn't be interested in sitting in for me, would you?"

"What do you think?"

"Never should have asked."

Bill sighed heavily and paused in front of the temporary hospital building. "She's getting better," he said, though Saul knew this.

"She is." Saul patted him on the back. "That’s why we're going to see her."

The first thing they saw when they stepped inside was Laura, helping Ishay organize supplies.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Bill asked.

Laura set down the box of bandages. "I don't need to be in bed," she said, going back for another. "I feel fine. Better than I have in ages." She caught Saul's eye and smiled at him. "You believe me."

He smiled back. "That I do."

Bill was still frowning. "What does Cottle say?"

"Doing this was Cottle's idea." She brushed her hands on her yoga pants. "He still wants to keep me around, but otherwise." She shrugged. "I really do feel good."

"Why don't we have a seat," Bill said. "We could have some coffee."

At _coffee_ , Saul's ears perked up. That was the best thing about Earth, in his opinion. Real coffee, which they'd found growing wild.

"That sounds like a good idea." Laura went over to the pot in the corner and Bill joined her. "I can do it," she said, looking at him reproachfully. Saul stayed back, watching. This was one of the things that entertained him most about their relationship, just watching Bill and Laura.

They retired, with their coffee, to Laura's cot and she pulled the curtain closed.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you two," she said, leaning in to kiss Bill.

"We could say the same," he said. Laura smirked and went to kiss Saul.

"How's life on the outside?"

"Getting into a routine." Saul sat down on the edge of her bed and she sat next to him. "Buildings'll be going up soon, I imagine."

"Well, I hope to be out of here soon. Then we can start living like normal."

"You'll have to take that up with him." Saul nodded at Bill, who was still standing, sipping his coffee. "He's the one who keeps saying we're still the Admiral and the XO."

"It's just while we're getting set up." Bill had that impassive, stony look on his face that made Saul wonder if he really, deep down, felt this way. Was this duty talking, or did Bill really not want to walk down what passed for the street holding his hand?

"But how long is that going to take?" Saul asked.

"It's hard to say." Bill looked infuriatingly calm. "But I do promise—once we can retire, once Laura's out of the hospital… we'll be together."

Saul took a swallow of coffee and didn't say anything.

But he made eye contact with Laura and that said _everything_.

**

Saul spent the rest of the day supervising the distribution of seeds to family and work groups. It wasn't interesting work, but at least it kept him from being frustrated with Bill.

"What should I do with these, sir?" Hoshi asked, indicating the box he carried.

Saul looked down at them. "What are they?"

"No one knows. They were loose in the hold of the _Archimedes_. We can't identify them."

Saul rubbed the top of his head. "Can't you find somebody who knows this kind of stuff?"

"We have a professor from Promethea A&M and she can't identify them."

Saul sighed. "Well, I'll take 'em. Somebody ought to plant them." He took the box from Hoshi. "Can you finish up here, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, sir."

**

Bill came in while Saul was stowing the box in their quarters. There was no sense of impropriety in it—there weren't many rooms in what had become the senior officers' bunkhouse, so Bill and Saul were sharing the room that had been intended as the field commander's study.

"What are you doing?" Bill pushed the door shut behind him and began unbuttoning his jacket. "What's in the box?"

"Questions, questions." Saul nudged the box out of sight with his foot. "They're seeds."

"What kind?"

"Don't know." Saul put his hands in his pockets, finding that frakking hole again. "These were the leftovers. Don't worry, I got us some good ones, too. But I want to see what these are."

Bill sat down on his cot, which was pushed irritatingly against the opposite wall to Saul's. "Gonna be a while until we get to plant them, though. I figure housing's going to go to young families first… we might be here a while." He indicated the little bunkroom, with their cots against opposite walls and the small table with one chair in the middle, both of which were piled high with maps and paperweights. "You could straighten up a bit."

Saul looked at his side of the room, at the empty coffee cups and teetering stacks of ops manuals and trashy novels he'd salvaged from _Galactica_. "Bill, there's no _room_. Your side's messy, too."

Bill glanced at the floor—probably his only defense was that his piles of books were neater. "When we can move out, we'll have a nice house," he said. "And a garden. I want all three of us to work in the garden together."

It was the first time he'd talked like that and Saul liked the smile he got on his face. It was barely there, but Saul noticed it. He went over and sat down next to Bill. "Sooner rather than later, maybe?"

"Maybe." Bill kissed him and Saul tried to deepen it, but Bill pulled back, nodding toward the window, which was open.

"Curtains," Saul said, standing up stiffly. "We need some godsdamned curtains."

**

The next morning, just like every morning, Saul sat up in bed and banged his head on the ceiling.

"Can't I come over there with you? The wall's too short on this side."

"Curtains," was all Bill said as he grabbed his toiletry kit. "You want some, make some."

Saul rubbed his forehead. Maybe he would.

He dressed in fatigues because Bill wasn't there to tell him otherwise, and hell, he didn't need a hole in his pants. Instead of his too-thin tanks, he substituted an old T-shirt, which proclaimed _I got crabs at the Leonis Summer Seafood Festival_.

Wearing that under his uniform without Bill's knowledge was enough to satisfy his daily desire for mischief and by the time Bill came back from the head, he was quite prepared to go along with what he said without complaining or trying to kiss him.

"What's on the agenda for today, boss?"

The look Bill gave him was only mildly acidic. "It seems being off a battlestar's making you forget protocol, Colonel."

"Sorry, sir. Won't happen again, sir."

Bill ignored him and went over to the map. "These are the survey pictures our teams took of the area. I want you to take a Raptor team and try to get pictures of over here." He indicated a blanked-out area of the map for which there was no data.

"You want me to?"

Bill nudged his glasses up on his nose. "With the people we've lost, you're actually the best pilot I've got left. For one thing, you don't waste fuel, which is the most important thing right now, until we figure out how to get some more." He stared into space, as if daunted by this prospect. "So, get yourself some breakfast and I'll coordinate with Lampkin to get your civilian team ready. Skids up in an hour."

Saul saluted and headed out the door with a little spring in his step. This might actually be an interesting day. He supposed his lucky T-shirt had worked.

**

"Well," Cottle said, draping his stethoscope back around his neck. "I don't see any reason to keep you here any longer."

Laura smiled. "So does that mean I'm free to go?"

"As much as I'm loath to admit it, yes. You seem to be the picture of health." Cottle took his cigarette out of his mouth as if he didn't know what to do with it. "I'd still like to keep an eye on you, but for all intents and purposes you're a healthy woman."

Laura smiled. Hearing him say that was absolutely elating. As she left the hospital, her steps felt lighter. Healthy. Healthy.

While she knew it could be too good to be true, that her cancer wasn't necessarily gone, that it could return at any time, it still felt marvelous to walk out of there.

"Look at you!" Laura turned.

Saul was walking toward her, a big grin on his face. He scooped her into a tight hug and kissed her quickly. "There. Hope that won't piss Bill off."

"I'm sure no one saw."

"Right." He set her down. "So, he really let you out?"

She nodded. "He wants to keep an eye on me, but for now, we're calling me healthy."

He hugged her again. "That's frakking fantastic." They both stood there silently, remembering how close it had come to being over.

"So, what are you up to?" she asked finally.

He started to walk, indicating she should come with him. "Got an interesting assignment. I think Bill's getting a bit sick of me."

"Oh?"

Saul explained about his mission. "It'll be good to get out and fly again. I miss it."

"It sounds like it." They paused in front of the Raptor and Saul accepted his briefing papers from Hot Dog. "I'll see you later?"

"Yes. I'll go work on Bill." She waved at him and he went over to greet the civilian woman he'd be ferrying around.

**

Jane Carter was looking at Saul somewhat disapprovingly, which he was mostly used to after years of not being able to please superiors and then being a Cylon.

He handed his preflight checklist off to Figurski and then stepped up onto the Raptor. "Saul Tigh," he said, sticking out his hand. "Your pilot." She shook his hand somewhat stiffly.

Ah, well, he thought. You can't win 'em all.

**

Laura found Bill in his quarters doing paperwork. "Good morning."

"Oh, good morning." He smiled warmly. "You look great."

Laura smiled. "You flatter me."

"Your health is what matters. It's good to have you back."

She came up behind him and kissed the top of his head. "I never went anywhere."

"But you almost did." He covered her hands on his shoulders with his own and tilted his head back so they could kiss. "When Saul gets back tonight, we should all have dinner."

"That's a good idea."

"Did you notice him acting a little odd?"

Laura sighed and sat down on Bill's bunk. "He just wants us all to be together and open."

"Believe me, so do I." Bill took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "The time'll come."

Laura didn't want to start bugging him, so she didn't say what she wanted to say. "What can I do? I'm feeling useless."

"You just got out of the hospital," Bill reminded her. "And you're worried about that?"

"Bill, I have to be doing _something_."

He looked around the room. "How about those forms over there? You mind sorting them?"

"Not at all." Laura brought the stack over to the bed and started making piles—requisitions, orders, disciplinary, commendations.

"Applications for married housing?"

"Yeah, I got those out." Bill didn't look up from his work. "I thought some people might want to live together, now that we're settling."

Laura scanned the form. This one was for a group marriage— _name of spouse 1_ , _name of spouse 2_ , _name of spouse 3_.

"Should we do this?" she asked.

Bill looked up at her. "We'd have to get married."

She shrugged. "No reason we couldn't."

Bill sighed. "We've relaxed some of the regs, but there's still something about the first- and second-in-command being in a relationship."

"You're already in a relationship."

"I know that. But nobody else does." He sighed and stood. "Look. I'll think about it."

"Remember what we told you about pushing us away."

"Yeah, I know." He gave her a smile and came over to take her hands in his. "I love you both so much. When Saul comes back, we'll talk about a timetable."

"I think he'll like that very much."

**

When Saul got back, he was exhausted. What he'd thought would be a relaxing flight had turned into eight hours trapped in a Raptor with a woman who obviously still hated Cylons and didn't trust one to keep the bird in the air.

He let himself into his and Bill's room, wish desperately he could take a shower.

"You look like a mess," Bill said.

"I feel like a mess." He began unbuttoning his fatigue jacket. "How was your day?"

"Probably not as bad as yours." Laura got up to help him off with his jacket. "You look like you need to relax."

"You offering to help?" Saul smirked at her.

"Maybe later," Bill cut in. "Why don't you get cleaned up and then we can talk over dinner."

Laura and Saul exchanged glances.

"Sure," Saul said. "We can do that."

He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

**

He did feel better after a bath, though, and a change of uniform. He walked back to the bunkhouse, wondering what Bill and Laura had in mind. They'd had all day to talk about… something. But what was it?

Dinner was delicious—fresh meat and vegetables. Saul couldn't get over that, after all that time without. He thought he'd be savoring fresh food for the rest of his life.

"You make this?" he asked.

"Chow line," Bill said. "We took your ID out of your pants for rations." He paused to take a bite. "You know you have a hole in the pocket."

"Yeah." Saul took a swig of water. "I know."

"You don’t have to wear the pants with the hole in them," Bill said charitably.

"Thanks." Saul paused. "So, listen. Timetable."

"Right." Bill folded his hands. "I want to apologize to you two. It wasn't fair of me." He sighed. "Truthfully… I… I don't know. I love you both, more than I've ever loved anybody. I almost don't know what to do with that."

Laura laid a hand on his arm. "You're allowed to be happy, you know."

"I know." He rubbed his chin. "I've just been in this job so long… It's hard to let go."

Saul was about to say that sooner or later he'd have to, but Laura said, "But, Bill, you don't have to let go."

Clearly that was the more sensible answer. "I know," Bill said. "I just can't get past the rules I've been living with all my life."

"Yeah, but who's gonna get us in trouble if we're together?" Saul rested his elbows on the table. "It's not like there's anybody above you or me."

Bill nodded. "That's true."

"And it's not like there's no precedent… there are a _lot_ of married people in the Fleet."

"True." Bill rested his chin on his hands. "Maybe we can try making this a regular thing, like we did on _Galactica_."

Saul stood up and made eye contact with Laura. "I'll take care of the beds," he said. "You strip him."

"What?" Bill sputtered, though he didn't seem to have any problem with Laura unbuttoning his jacket.

"This is what we want, Bill," Saul said, unbuttoning his own jacket and tossing it over the window frame. "There. Curtains." He stripped off his T-shirt. "That make you happy?"

Bill looked pretty happy, the way Laura was pushing his tanks up, letting her nails drag across his stomach. Saul knew undid his pants as he headed over to move the desk out of the way. He had to move fast if he wanted in on this.

He kicked his pants out of the way and set to moving the furniture. The desk he shoved just out of the way and he almost fell over his pants pulling his bed into the middle of the room.

"Almost ready," he said, watching out of the corner of his eye as Bill, apparently having stopped being opposed to this, removed Laura's bra.

"Mm, we're ready when you are," she murmured, face pressed to Bill's neck. Saul felt a shiver go right through to his cock. He dragged Bill's cot over next to his, lined them up and then went over to join Bill and Laura, pulling off his shorts as he went.

"You still want to keep this a secret?" he asked, coming up behind Bill and slipping his arms around him. His hands moved up to his chest, teasing his nipples. "Laura and I want to go public." He let his teeth scrape ever so lightly across Bill's neck, enjoying the feeling of the admiral melting in his arms. "Don't you want everybody to know we're frakking you?"

Bill let out a gasp of breath that may have been a yes.

Saul twined his fingers with Laura's over Bill's stomach. "That would make us both really happy."

"But regs—"

"No buts." Saul kissed the back of his neck, nuzzling into Bill's hair.

"We were still hiding it on _Galactica_ ," Laura reminded him. "We don't have to make a public announcement… just…" She dropped to her knees. "Act on our feelings."

Bill took a deep breath and squirmed against Saul's grasp as Laura put her lips to his cock. He was probably beyond the ability to think about this. Which was fine by Saul.

He stepped away from Bill and went over to his nightstand. Even the sound of the drawer got to Bill, he could see. Saul smirked.

"You want this, Bill?"

Bill nodded. Saul debated making another teasing comment, but decided against it. Bill had had enough of a lesson and he thought this might have done some good.

And even if it hadn't…

Well, Bill might use some more convincing later.

Laura released Bill, making him shudder. "Should we move to the bed?"

"We can try," Saul said. "See how it holds up."

"Oh," Bill said, apparently having just realized this. "You pushed them together."

"Damn right I did," Saul said, tugging him over to them. "And they're staying that way, you got that?"

The protest he was sure was coming died on Bill's lips when Laura stretched herself over the two cots.

"I think it works," she said. Bill was looking back and forth between them, like he needed to be told what to do.

"We're going to do it, aren't we?" he said, an amused look on his face. "We're going to be open about it?"

Saul pushed Bill back on the bed. "Damn right."  



End file.
